As a continuation of the previous post, I will now discuss the deadly effects of air pollution specific to the country of China. China is the third largest acid rain zone in the world, closely behind North America and Europe. 258 of its cities experience acid rain due to excessive emissions of sulfur dioxide, amounting to approximately 2.75 million tons in 2021. 

The severity of acid rain in China resulted in numerous detrimental effects, ranging from social to natural impacts that are often irreversible. This blog post examines three main consequences of poor air quality in the region.

Firstly, the severe and intense acid rain led to the corrosion of numerous buildings and structures, leaving their surfaces covered in a yellowish tint. This decreases the attractiveness of the landscape, especially in popular tourist areas like Xiamen where photographs are commonly taken. It projects an image of low maintenance and poor standard of living which might decrease tourism revenue as a result. Furthermore, acid rain is also causing problems in terms of destroying famous heritage statues such as the Leshan Buddha located in Sichuan province as seen in Fig 1. The statue has a history of more than a thousand years and is one of the largest in the world at 71 meters high. Unfortunately, acid rain has caused the nose to turn black, accelerated disintegration of the head, and changed the original color of the body from a reddish brown to a blackish tint instead.

Fig 1: The Leshan Giant Buddha Statue (Source: Tripways, 2021)

Secondly, acid rain also gravely impacted the agricultural industry. The sharp rise in sulfur dioxide emissions is due to coal burning and rapid industrialisation. The sulfur dioxide causes acidification while leaching all the nutrients and minerals from the soil, making it less productive. Moreover, acid rain also damages the leaves of vegetables like spinach and leads to blemishes forming on tomatoes. The lower crop yield coupled with the ruined appearance of crops makes it less desirable for export consumption, decreasing the revenue that farmers earn. A study conducted by Standford University found that reducing air pollution by half can result in a 25% increase in China’s crop yield. This has a significant impact on global food supply considering that China is a major importer and exporter in the agriculture industry. 

Fig 2: A field of dead crops (Source: EIT, 2019)

Thirdly, acid rain also brings about natural disasters including landslides. One prominent example would be the fatal Jiweishan rock avalanche that occurred on 5th of June, 2009. The Chongqing incident accounted for 74 deaths but was not linked to any recent earthquake activity. This prompted researchers to investigate the cause of the landslide, which led to the conclusion that acid rain was one of the major triggers. Acid rain caused the water-soluble limestone to dissolve gradually, reducing the sliding resistance along the potential failure surface.  The eroded rocks and sediments hence fell into the valley situated at the foot of the mountain.

Fig 3: The 2009 Jiweishan landslide (Source: Morton, 2018)

In conclusion, the effects of acid rain are far-reaching and highly detrimental not just economically, but also socially and environmentally. In a country like China where air quality levels are poor due to the high emissions, acid rain will continue to be a common and widespread occurrence unless something is done to curb air pollution. 

 

Bibliography

Abbasi, T., Poornima, P., Kannadasan, T., & Abbasi, S. A. (2013). Acid rain: past, present, and future. International Journal of Environmental Engineering, 5(3): 229-272.

EIT. (2019, June 18). Agricultural Outlook: How Limiting Air Pollution Will Protect Farms. Retrieved from EIT Food: https://www.eitfood.eu/blog/agricultural-outlook-how-limiting-air-pollution-will-protect-farms

Lobell, D. B., Tommaso, S. D., & Burney, J. A. (2022). Globally ubiquitous negative effects of nitrogen dioxide on crop growth. Science Advances, 8(22).

Markgraf, B. (2018, March 9). Does Acid Rain Have an Effect on Agriculture? Retrieved from Sciencing: https://sciencing.com/acid-rain-effect-agriculture-20667.html

Morton, M. (2018, March 20). Acid rain triggered deadly Chinese landslide. Retrieved from EARTH Magazine: https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/acid-rain-triggered-deadly-chinese-landslide/

NDTV. (2011, Janurary 14). Acid rains make life hard in 258 Chinese cities. Retrieved from NDTV: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/acid-rains-make-life-hard-in-258-chinese-cities-444967

Qin, Z., Zhang, J., Peng, X.-y., & Wang, X.-s. (2005). A study on weathering processes of Leshan Grand Buddha, Sichuan, China. GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, 24(6): 928-934.

Zhang, M., & McSaveney, M. J. (2018). Is air pollution causing landslides in China? Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 481:284-289.